Paradise - Act 2
The sun had barely set and Pearce was already waiting in the long shadow for the demon he knew would be there. Council reports gathered over several months had tracked a rash of disappearances to this corner of Central Park. There were never investigations filed: the creature took its victims without a sign of struggle. Lone joggers mostly. Police had the list as runaways or even abductees, but there were never bodies, and never indications of abduction.
Pearce stepped out of the shadow cast by the clump of elm trees. The first stars were peeking out in the twilit sky and a localized fog had begun to gather around a round boulder protruding from beside the footpath.
Pearce watched with some distant interest as the fog spread and rose from the ground in less than a minute and took on human form. Once solidified, it was difficult to distinguish it from the background foliage. Frowning, Pearce stepped closer, squinting as the creature, its back to the vampire, rolled its shoulders back and stretched, as a jogger might.
The dim light of twilight made it especially difficult, but Pearce could make out the texture of the creature’s hide – a mosaic of scales of shifting color to let it camouflage itself into the background. As it stretched, the unidentified demon turned around and faced the vampire, freezing as it did, confident in its own camouflage. Pearce crossed his arms and kept his gaze unwaveringly on the thing that was somewhere before him. Admittedly, an unaccustomed eye might pass over the thing without seeing it, but Pearce knew now what he was looking at and sighed with annoyance. “I can totally see you.”
There was a pause, then with a snake-like hiss, the creature shifted through an undulating pattern of red and black, its eyes beginning to glow red. It drew something from inside its hide and it flashed with a copper sheen. It was curved and the creature held it by the middle.
Pearce spread his stance and lowered his center of balance, ready for combat against an armed foe. It was clear how this thing nabbed joggers with total suddenness, but Pearce was still a little unsure how getting grabbed by an unseen foe prevented a struggle.
The snake hiss issued from the unseen mouth of the chameleon demon and it leaped ridiculously high into the air, flying up beyond the top of the elm tree and disappearing into the sky.
Pearce frowned and then turned, sensing a presence behind him. He received a sky-blue, scaled fist to the face and he stumbled backward, blinking as he stared at the dark blue figure before him, a star glittering from one scale on its chest, standing in front of the clump of elm trees.
The blue quickly shifted with a hiss into a shadowy black and the creature ducked low and swung high with the blade, Pearce only managing to avoid the knife by falling completely over backwards. He landed with a huff and sprang to his feet, seeing nothing. He whirled around but still could not identify his foe. It was quickly growing darker and the wind was picking up. The vampire’s eyes moved quickly, nervously from one shadow to the next, looking for anything at all.
“What’cha looking for?” Niki asked, walking casually up the path, her hands deep in her pockets.
“Have you seen a demon—” Pearce frowned, “about my height, completely invisible?”
Niki frowned sardonically and thought hard. “Um... Let me see... Hey!” Her eyes lit up. “Oh– wait. No... I’m pretty sure I saw that guy.”
“Fine,” Pearce said dejectedly. “Laugh all you like—” his eyes focused on the creature an instant too late.
Niki let out a cry of pain as the blade came down into the back of her neck. Pearce jumped forward to catch her but she crumpled to the ground at the creature’s feet. It leaned down and prepared to begin carving her up but Pearce kicked the blade from its hand. He performed a high scissor kick, driving his toe into its chin – which incidentally caused him to tumbled backwards, inches from the curved copper blade.
The vampire heard a hiss, then smelled the familiar -if unwelcome- scent of a small claims lawyer. He sprang to his feet to see the red and black shifting hands come down on the crossed forearms of the man in the brown blazer. There was a brief flash of light and the creature stumbled away from the human, tripping over Niki’s prostrate form and landing in Pearce’s arms.
The vampire took the creature’s surprised head in his hands and snapped it almost completely around. The kaleidoscope of colors promptly ceased and the creature dissociated into the mist from which it had begun.
“What happened?” Logan demanded, kneeling by Niki’s form. She was breathing, barely, but limp as a rag doll. “And why the hell do I always have to save the day?”
“In my book, I’d say I made the kill” Pearce argued amicably, “—but these things are best left to history.” He looked down to Niki’s body and frowned in the dimming light. “And as to the former question — I haven’t a frickin’ clue.”
Despite Pearce’s superior strength, Logan insisted on carrying the Slayer back to her apartment. The vampire had the distinguished duty of transporting the knife. He held it reverently, unsure of its demonic properties as it had apparently felled a Slayer with a single cut.
“So what was that flashy thing you did?” Pearce asked conversationally as Logan laid Niki down on the couch in the small living room. The human went to the duffle bag which was sitting in the corner and retrieved a small book. The vampire examined it and nodded, impressed. “Dark Arts, no kidding? I had an uncle who dabbled – ended up a duck. Real sad story.”
“With a finger-licking good ending?” Logan asked with a raised eyebrow. “The guy who sold it to me also had that same uncle,” he explained. “I don’t need your concern.”
“I’m just saying...” the vampire shrugged. “Watch yourself.”
“Apparently I’m not the one who needs a babysitter,” Logan argued, kneeling down beside the silent and motionless girl. She was beyond angelic as she lay there. Not like she was when she merely slept. When she slept she dreamt of things — usually bad things. He felt his heartstrings being pulled – knowing he loved her and hating himself for it. She deserved so much better than him. The loud bang made his head whip around. Pearce was coughing amid the small dust cloud the large book had raised.
“Research time, lawyer boy,” the vampire smiled. “I know they may not emphasize reading at law school, but there are books out there that teach us things besides how to kick the crap out of the plaintiff.”
“Shove it,” Logan dismissed, turning back to gently stroke his hand across Niki’s cheek. He swallowed, hoping wherever she was, she wasn't in pain.
She lay on the slope, overlooking the valley. There was nothing so picturesque. There was nothing else. One could no more claim all of creation was bleak in comparison: there was nothing with which to compare it.
The sun was setting and rising at once. The horizon held the gentle peace of a waking world, a rising mind, and at the same time the great final shout of an ending symphony, the blazing red of a dying day.
She looked with true appreciation, the world that was the art, the only art that had been made. Made for her. Countless shades of purple and red, crimson and ruby, cerise and magenta, deep heart-aching rose edged clouds that stretched the vast canvas of the sky. A living painting, changing over the passing, countless instants.
The infinitely gentle breeze, carrying with it mere hints of jasmine and wild fruit blossoms, herbs and the very lightest touch of sun warmed roses. She took a deep breath of longing, not for any other earthly thing, there was no other, but a longing to stay in this moment forever.
And of course the only longing that could be felt was felt, and granted utterly. There was no change here. The change of the soft grasses as they swayed in the quiet wind, the change of the hues of the pallet that was the sky, the change in the mingling scents upon the air. These were changes of the mind, not of the world. There was no change here.
She slowly lay back in the cushion of grass behind her head. The thin blades tickled her ears. This was everything. Everything that could be desired, her mind concluded in confidence as her eyes drifted over the lazy wisps of cotton cloud in the twilit sky. Each cloud was rich, royal blue on its rear edge, hot, glorious pink on the front.
Somewhere, a dog barked. A man appeared from nowhere, standing in the light of the crescent sun. The grass swayed about his knees and he slowly took off his long, black, leather jacket. There was a broad grin on his face and he laid slowly down beside her, laying an arm about her. But he wasn’t. And yet he was. There was nothing but him, and so he neither was nor wasn’t. With only one, comparison is useless. She smiled at his company. And like a symphony, rising with glorious ovations and subtly, the tragedy of an ending, the verse drew to a close.
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